Adolf Hitler
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German politician.
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- Hitler Speaks (documentary)
at 28:00-30:00 there is a clip of Hitler's natural voice
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[edit] EIE
[edit] For EIE
Very expressive, maximalistic, and idealistic. His best known personal trait was his ability to persuade crowds with passionate speeches, heavily emphasizing rhetoric over factual arguments (which were basically nonexistent). He promised a new age for Germany, but at the same time appealed to its long-standing cultural values of conquest and national pride. In particular, he used the reputation of its past leaders as a means to enhance his own.
A primary influence on Hitler's Nazism was the philosophy of Nietzsche, another likely ENFj, and it obviously reflects a Beta philosophy: one of struggle (Se), passion (Fe), and ideological revolution (Ti).
Hitler had a keen sense of the forces of history and national memory (suggesting strong ) and the longings of his nation and what to do to arouse their passions (suggesting strong ). Every speech was an emotional performance. In private Hitler was quite down-to-earth and amiable and enjoyed group gatherings, the arts, and entertainment. His excellent command of social situations suggests strong ethics.
[edit] Against EIE
His life as a struggling student of art and architecture before fighting in WWI had a "go-with-the-flow" flavour, in pursuit of specific dreams, which seem to fit more IEI rather than EIE.
[edit] IEI
[edit] For IEI
[edit] Against IEI
Hitler's aggressive, outwardly-directed rule led Germany through a period of incredible expansion and development in many different areas of society. Such an expansive leadership style (other examples are Ghengis Khan, Napoleon, Caesar) is often associated with extraversion.
Hitler has very stiff movements, and a very low stress tolerance. Such characteristics are relevant to rationals, especially negativists.
[edit] EII
[edit] For EII
[edit] Against EII
Albert Speer, who knew Hitler well personally, said that Hitler had no one whom Speer would consider a close friend; if Hitler had had one friend, said Speer, it would have been him - but that was not how he saw it. That speaks strongly against having in the ego or even as quadra value.
[edit] IEE
[edit] For IEE
From the OSS Psychological Profile of Hitler, Part 3: Hitler As His Associates Know Him [1]
Extroverted: He seemed to have a violent dislike for going to bed or being alone. Frequently, he would ring for his adjutants in the middle of the night after his guests had gone home and demand that they sit up and talk to him. It was not that he had anything to say and often the adjutants would fall asleep listening to him talk about nothing of importance. As long as one of them remained awake, however, he would not be offended. There was an unwritten law among his immediate staff never to ask a question at these early morning sessions because to do so might get Hitler off on another subject and force them to remain for another hour.
Aristocratic: The realization of a fundamental loneliness and feeling of isolation in people living under modern conditions and a craving to "belong" to an active group which carries a certain status, provides cohesiveness and gives the individual a feeling of personal worth and belongingness. The Fuehrer is also ill at ease in the company of diplomats and avoids contact with them as much as possible.
Result: This is a very fundamental trait in Hitler's character structure. He does not think things out in a logical and consistent fashion, gathering all available information pertinent to the problem, mapping out alternative courses of action and then weighing the evidence pro and con for each of them before reaching a decision. His mental processes operate in reverse. "Even on ordinary days in those times, it was almost impossible to keep Hitler concentrated on one point. His quick mind would run away with the talk, or his attention would be distracted by the sudden discovery of the newspaper and he would stop to read it avidly, or he would interrupt your carefully prepared report with a long speech as though you were an audience...." On the whole, he prefers to discuss cabinet matters with each member in person and then communicate his decision to the group as a whole.
Intuiting: It is during periods of inactivity that Hitler is waiting for his "inner voice" to guide him. Having the solution he then begins to look for facts which will prove that it is correct. In this procedure he is very clever and by the time he presents it to his associates, it has the appearance of a rational judgment. Hitler has been very successful in this respect because he has been able to convince his followers of his own self-confidence and because he has guessed right on so many occasions that he has created the impression of infallibility. As Thyssen puts it: "Sometimes his intelligence is astonishing... miraculous political intuition, devoid of all moral sense, but extraordinarily precise. Even in a very complex situation he discerns what is possible and what is not."
Static: Although Hitler has been extremely successful in using this inspirational technique in determining his course of action (and we are reminded of his following his course with the precision of a sleep-walker) it is not without its shortcomings. He becomes dependent on his inner guide which makes for unpredictability on the one hand and rigidity on the other. His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.
Carefree: This type of behavior is illustrated even more clearly in relation to Gregor Strasser because the occasion was one of extreme importance to Hitler. Strasser threatened to split the Party if a definite program could not be agreed upon. Hitler avoided the situation as long as he possibly could in the hope that something might happen, that the situation would somehow solve itself. Instead of studying the problem as an intellectual would do he avoids it and occupies himself with other things until unconscious processes furnish him with a solution. Nevertheless, his thought processes proceed from the emotional to the factual instead of starting with the facts as an intellectual normally does. It is this characteristic of his thinking process which makes it difficult for ordinary people to understand Hitler or to predict his future actions. His orientation in this respect is that of an artist and not that of a statesman.
Obstinate: After this recital to his adjutants Hitler calls in his advisers and informs them of his decision. When he has finished they are free to express their opinions. If Hitler thinks that one of these opinions is worthwhile he will listen for a long time but usually these opinions have little influence on his decision when this stage has been reached. Only if someone succeeds in introducing new factors is there any possibility of getting him to change his mind. If someone voices the opinion that the proposed plan is too difficult or onerous he becomes extremely angry and frequently says: "I do not look for people having clever ideas of their own but rather people who are clever in finding ways and means of carrying out my ideas." As soon as he has the solution to a problem his mood changes very radically.
Irrational: He does not think the problem through in a normal way but waits until the solution is presented to him. These periods of indecision may last from a few days to several weeks. If he is induced to talk about the problem-solving this time he becomes ill-natured and bad-tempered. However, when the solution has been given to him he has a great desire to express himself. He is unable to maintain any kind of a working schedule. His hours are most irregular and he may go to bed any time between midnight and seven o'clock in the morning and get up anywhere from nine o'clock in the morning and two in the afternoon. In later years the hours tended to get later and it was unusual, just before the war, for him to go to bed before daybreak. The night, however, was not spent in working as his propaganda agents allege, but in viewing one or two feature movies, endless newsreels, listening to music, entertaining film stars or just sitting around chatting with his staff.
Judicious: Although Hitler tries to present himself as a very decisive individual who never hesitates when he is confronted by a difficult situation, he is usually far from it. It is at just these times that his procrastination becomes most marked. At such times it is almost impossible to get him to take action on anything. He stays very much by himself and is frequently almost inaccessible to his immediate staff. He often becomes depressed, is in bad humor, talks little, and prefers to read a book, look at movies or play with architectural models. According to the Dutch report his hesitation to act is not due to divergent views among his advisers. At such times, he seldom pays very much attention to them and prefers not to discuss the matter. His working day before the war was equally disorderly. Rauschning reports, "he does not know how to work steadily. Indeed, he is incapable of working." He dislikes desk work and seldom glances at the piles of reports which are placed on his desk daily. No matter how important these may be or how much his adjutants may urge him to attend to the particular matter, he refuses to take them seriously unless it happens to be a project which interests him. On the whole, few reports interest him unless they deal with military or naval affairs or political matters. He seldom sits in a cabinet meeting because they bore him. On several occasions when sufficient pressure was brought to bear he did attend but got up abruptly during the session and left without apology. Later it was discovered that he had gone to his private theater and had the operator show some film that he particularly liked. Hanfstaengl reports that "his staff is usually in despair on account of his procrastination.... He never takes their protests in this respect very seriously and usually brushes them aside by saying, 'Problems are not solved by getting fidgety. If the time is ripe, the matter will be settled one way or another.'"
Serious: "I have the gift of reducing all problems to their simplest foundations ...A gift for tracing back all theories to their roots in reality." Unencumbered with abstract theories or traditional points of view and prejudices he is able to look at complex problems in a rather naive way and pick out the most salient and significant elements and apply them to the present situation in a fairly simple and workable manner. To be sure, he never solves the entire problem in this way but only the human elements involved. Since this is the part which interests him most and produces immediate results, it has been rated very highly and has won the admiration of his close associates from the earliest days of his political career. He, therefore, demands great sacrifices from his associates. Hitler's adjustment to people in general is very poor. He is not really on intimate terms with any of his associates. Hess is the only associate, with the possible exception of Streicher, who has ever had the privilege of addressing him with the familiar "Du". Even Goering, Goebbels and Himmler must address him with the more formal "Sie" although each of them would undoubtedly be willing to sacrifice his right hand for the privilege of addressing him in the informal manner. It is true that outside of his official family there are a few people in Germany, notably Mrs. Bechstein and the Winifred Wagner family who address him as "Du" and call him by his nickname, "Wolf", but even these are few and far between. From the weight of evidence it seems certain that Hitler does lose his self-confidence badly when he is brought face to face with an accepted authority of high standing, particularly royalty. "In the course of his peroration he came to speak of Generals Ludendorff and von Seeckt; at such moments, he stood at attention and trumpeted forth the words 'General' and 'Excellency'. It made no difference that one of the generals was on his side, while the other, von Seeckt, Commander-in-Chief of the Reichswehr, was his enemy; he abandoned himself entirely to the pleasure of pronouncing the high-sounding titles. He never said 'General Seeckt', he said 'His Excellency Herr Colonel General von Seeeke, letting the words melt on his tongue and savoring their after-taste." Although Hitler almost invariably introduces a few humorous elements into his speeches and gives the impression of considerable wit, he seems to lack any real sense of humor. He can never take a joke on himself. Heyst says, "He is unable to purify his gloomy self with self-irony and humor." Von Wiegand says he is extremely sensitive to ridicule and Huss says "He takes himself seriously and will flare up in a temperamental rage at the least impingement by act or attitude on the dignity and holiness of state and Fuehrer." When everything is going well he sometimes gets into a gay and whimsical mood in a circle of close friends. His humor then is confined almost wholly to a kind of teasing or ribbing. The ribbing is usually in connection with alleged love affairs of his associates but are never vulgar and only hint at sexual factors. Friedelinde Wagner provides us with an example of his teasing. Goering and Goebbels were both present at the time that he said to the Wagner family: "You all know what a volt is and an ampere, don't you? Right. But do you know what a goebbels, a goering are? A goebbels is the amount of nonsense a man can speak in an hour and a goering is the amount of metal that can be pinned on a man's breast." According to Friedelinde Wagner she is the one person in Germany who can carry on a monologue in Hitler's presence and who would actually tell him what she thought. During these violent scoldings Hitler would stand there like an abashed schoolboy who had committed a misdemeanor. According to Hanfstaengl, Mrs. Bechstein had groomed Hitler in the expectation that he would marry her daughter, Lottie, who was far from attractive. Out of sense of obligation, Hitler did ask Lottie, but was refused. Mrs. Bechstein was disconsolate over the failure of her plans and began to criticize Hitler's social reforms as well as his actions. Nevertheless, Hitler made duty calls fairly regularly even though he postponed them as long as possible.
Feeling: Several occasions have been reported on which he has not carried through his own program because he feared opposition. This is particularly true in connection with his Gauleiters. He seems to have a particular fear of these people and rather than meet opposition from them, he usually tries to find out on which side of an issue the majority have aligned themselves before he meets with them. When the meeting takes place, he proposes a plan or course of action which will fit in with the sentiments of the majority. The same thing happened a year later when, as Chancellor, he was to speak to the Reichsverband der Deutschen Presse, Again he sensed opposition in the group and again he fled from the scene. At other times, when he finds himself in difficult situations, the great dictator who prides himself on his decisiveness, hardness and other leadership qualities, breaks down and weeps like a child appealing for sympathy. Raischning writes: "In 1934 as in 1932 he complained of the ingratitude of the German people in the sobbing tones of a down-at-the-heel music-hall performer! A weakling who accused and sulked, appealed and implored, and retired in wounded vanity ('If the German people don't want me!') instead of acting." Otto Strasser reports that on one occasion: "He seized my hands, as he had done two years before. His voice was choked with sobs, and tears flowed down his cheeks." Heiden reporting a scene at which the Party leaders were waiting for the arrival of gregor Strasser: "'Never would I have believed it of Strasser,' he (Hitler) cried, and he laid his head on the table and sobbed. Tears came to the eyes of many of those present, as they saw their Fuehrer weeping. Julius Streicher, who had been snubbed by Strasser for years, called out from his humble place in the background: 'Shameful that Strasser should treat our Fuehrer like that!'" He is also terrified when he is called upon to speak to intellectuals or any group in which he feels opposition or the possibility of criticism. "What is known as the mastery of material was quite unimportant to him. He quickly became impatient if the details of a problem were brought to him. He was greatly adverse to experts and had little regard for their opinion. He looked upon them as mere hacks, as brush-cleaners and color grinders...." In MEIN KAMPF, he writes: "The people, in an overwhelming majority, are so feminine in their nature and attitude that their activities and thoughts are motivated less by sober consideration than by feeling and sentiment." (p.237) He is an excellent mimic and often plays out the roles of the individual involved to the great amusement of the staff while the individual must sit by and witness the performance much to his own embarrassment. Nevertheless he is thoroughly flattered that the Fuehrer should single him out and remember in such detail. He has an extraordinary memory and continuously recalls amusing incidents from the past lives of those around him. These he tells to his staff at large. During these periods Hitler is also the soul of kindliness and generosity. He acts more like a big brother to his staff than as a Fuehrer and manages to endear himself to each and every one of them. At such times, however, he is also very human. He shows an unusual degree of considerateness towards them and a certain tolerance of their weaknesses. When he calls a halt for meals he will not eat until his entire staff has been served. When an overzealous servant insists on serving him before others he will often get up and take the plate over to one of his lowly assistants.
Emotivist: He also has the ability to appeal to and arouse the sympathetic concern and protectiveness of his people, to represent himself as the bearer of their burdens and their future, with the result that he becomes a personal concern to individuals and many, particularly the women, feel tenderly and compassionately about him. They must always be careful not to inflict undue annoyance or suffering on the Fuehrer. He also has the ability to appeal to and arouse the sympathetic concern and protectiveness of his people, to represent himself as the bearer of their burdens and their future, with the result that he becomes a personal concern to individuals and many, particularly the women, feel tenderly and compassionately about him. They must always be careful not to inflict undue annoyance or suffering on the Fuehrer. He is very persuasive and is able to muster and organize his people into an efficient smooth-running unit. Personal frictions disappear, for the time being, and everybody has a single thought in mind: To do what the Fuehrer wishes. Equally important has been his ability to persuade others to repudiate their individual consciences and assume that role himself. He can then decree for the individual what is right and wrong, permissible or impermissible and can use them freely in the attainment of his own ends. As Goering has said: "I have no conscience. My conscience is Adolph Hitler." In addition they love him for his very human qualities when he is at his best and is engaged in some important undertaking. These are aspects of Hitler's personality we should never lose sight of when evaluating his hold on his associates or on the German people. He has a magnetic quality about him which, together with his past accomplishments, wins the allegiance of people and seems to rob them of their critical functions. It is a bond which does not easily dissolve even in the face of evidence that he is not always what he pretends to be - in fact is more often than not, the exact opposite. Almost everyone who has written about Hitler has commented on his rages. These are well known to all of his associates and they have learned to fear them. The descriptions of his behavior during these rages vary considerably. The more extreme descriptions claim that at the climax he rolls on the floor and chews on the carpets. Shirer reports that in 1938 he did this so often that his associates frequently referred to him as "Teppichfresser". It must not be supposed, however, that these rages occur only when he is crossed on major issues. On the contrary, very insignificant matters might call out this reaction. In general they are brought on whenever anyone contradicts him, when there is unpleasant news for which he might feel responsible, when there is any skepticism concerning his judgment or when a situation arises in which his infallibility might be challenged or belittled. Von Weigand reports that among his staff there is a tactic understanding: "For God's sake don't excite the Fuehrer - which means do not tell him bad news -- do not mention things which are not as he conceives them to be." Voigt says that: "Close collaborators for many years said that Hitler was always like this - that the slightest difficulty or obstacle could make him scream with rage...."
Tactical: Many writers believe that these rages are just play acting. Rage and abuse became the favorite weapons in his armory. "This was largely possible because he is so naturally a tactical genius. His timing of decisions and actions has almost been uncanny." Appreciation of the important role played by little things which affect the everyday life of the ordinary man in building up and maintaining the morale of the people. His associates recognize these capacities in Hitler and they admire and respect his extraordinary leadership qualities, particularly the influence he has over people. "Unless I have the incorruptible conviction: THIS IS THE SOLUTION, I do nothing. Not even if the whole party tried to drive me to action. I will not act; I will wait, no matter what happens. But if the voice speaks, then I know the time has come to act." There is much to be said for this point of view since Hitler's first reaction to the unpleasant situation is not indignation, as one would ordinarily expect under these circumstances. He goes off into a rage or tirade without warning. Similarly, when he has finished, there is no aftermath. He immediately cools down and begins to talk about other matters in a perfectly calm tone of voice as though nothing had happened. Occasionally he will look around sheepishly, as if to see if anyone is laughing, and then proceeds with other matters, without the slightest trace of resentment. Some of his closest associates have felt that he induces these rages consciously to frighten those about him. Rauschning, for example, says it is a: "...technique by which he would throw his entire entourage into confusion by well-timed fits of rage and thus make them more submissive."
Declaring: Even then he gives no opportunity to ask for further clarification because he immediately launches into a lengthy dissertation, which sometimes develops into a tirade. When this is finished, the interview is over. His behavior, however, is not in keeping with this hypothesis for he carries on a monologue and frequently gets very much stirred up about the topic. On these occasions he does not want them to question him or even to understand him. It seems that he just wants to talk. He then calls in his adjutants and they must sit and listen to him until he is finished no matter what time it happens to be. It is well-known that he cannot carry on a normal conversation or discussion with people. Even if only one person is present he must do all the talking. His manner of speech soon loses any conversational qualities it might have had and takes on all the characteristics of a lecture and may easily develop into a tirade. He simply forgets his companions and behaves as though he were addressing a multitude.
Negativist: In extremely difficult situations he had openly threatened to commit suicide. Sometimes it seems that he uses this as a form of blackmail while at other times the situation seems to be more than he can bear. During the Beer Hall Putsch he said to the officials he was holding as prisoners: "There are still five bullets in my pistol - four for the traitors, and one, if things go wrong, for myself," He also threatened to commit suicide before Mrs. Hanfstaengl directly after the failure of the Putsch, while he was hiding from the police in the Hanfstaengl home. Again in Landsberg he went on a hunger strike and threatened to martyr himself - an imitation of the Mayor of Cork. In 1930, he threatened to commit suicide after the strange murder of his niece, Geli, of whom we shall speak later. In 1932, he again threatened to carry out this action if Strasser split the Party. In 1933 he threatened to do so if he was not appointed Chancellor, and in 1936, he promised to do so if the Occupation of the Rhineland failed. These, however, are relatively infrequent exhibitions although his associates have learned that they are always a possibility and that it is wise not to push the Fuehrer too far. More frequent are his depressions about which a great deal has been written. It is certain that he does have very deep depressions from time to time. During his years in Vienna (1907-1912), after his mother's death, he undoubtedly suffered from them a great deal. Hanisch reports: "I have never seen such helpless letting down in distress." It is probably also true that he suffered from depressions during the war as Mend reports. After the death of his niece, Geli (193O), he also went into a severe depression which lasted for some time. Gregor Strasser actually feared that he might commit suicide during this period and stayed with him for several days. There is some evidence that he actually tried to do so and was prevented from carrying it out.
[edit] Against IEE
The above arguments entirely rely on reinin and jungian dichotomies, two topics of controversial usefulness.
[edit] External links
- The typing EIE is argued at Socionics.us.
